2013-04-18
April 18 is the fourth meeting for Systems Thinking Ontario. Registration is at http://st-on-2013-04-18.eventbrite.com/.
Theme: Systems Thinking and Variety
Theme: Systems Thinking and Variety
The focus question for the evening is: "How do systems deal with variety, in physical systems, biological systems and social systems?"
Suggested pre-reading:
Suggested pre-reading:
To provide a minimal shared context, a foundational (i.e. really old!) article can be helpful.
- W. Ross Ashby (1958), "Requisite variety and its implications for the control of complex systems", Cybernetica 1:2, p. 83-99. (available at http://pcp.vub.ac.be/Books/AshbyReqVar.pdf,republished on the web by F. Heylighen—Principia Cybernetica Project)
As supplements, more applied versions are available by Ashby proponents, in video and written form.
- Stafford Beer (1990), "The Law of Requisite Variety" (web video), The Intelligent Organization Conference, Monterrey, Mexico at http://youtu.be/bDRudRhNgy4.
- Michael C. Geoghegan and Paul Pangaro (2009), "Design for a Self-regenerating Organization", International Journal of General Systems, Special Issue on the Intellectual Legacy of W. Ross Ashby, Volume 38 Issue 2, at http://pangaro.com/ashby/
Participants should not feel limited to this suggested pre-reading, but should recognize that other attendees may have not read, or are reading differently, that article.
Agenda, April. 18, 2012
Agenda, April. 18, 2012
Post-meeting artifacts
Post-meeting artifacts
Bloggers are encouraged to write about their learning and experiences at the meeting. Links will be added to this page.